Michael C. Donaldson

Michael C. Donaldson is an ex-Marine. As a 1st Lieutenant, he was selected to be Officer-In-Charge of the first Marine ground combat unit in Vietnam. He went on to earn his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) where he was student body president. He raised his three lovely daughters (Michelle, Amy, and Wendy) as a single parent and is now the proud grandfather of two healthy and happy grandsons (Soul and Caden). He is an avid skier, worldwide hiker, and award-wining photographer. He competed in the Senior Olympics in Gymnastics, winning gold medals for the parallel bars in 1996, 1997, and 1998 and a silver metal for rings in 1998. In his successful entertainment law practice, Michael represents writers, directors, and producers. He was co-chairman of the Entertainment Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and is listed in Who’s Who of American Law. His book Clearance and Copyright is used in 50 film schools across the country. Michael travels extensively to universities, annual meetings, and corporate headquarters throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe to lead workshops on the topic of negotiating. His expertise, developed over a lifetime of experience and learning, makes him a highly sought-after speaker. Michael’s expansive knowledge of negotiating coupled with his energetic and engaging style delivers powerful results to each seminar attendee.

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Business Communication Win-Win Negotiating

Article / Updated 12-01-2021

You are about to end a negotiation, either by closing a deal or walking away from it. If you are going to close the deal, be sure that the deal is positive for both parties, producing a win-win situation. If you are thinking about walking away, be sure that you aren't overlooking some way to achieve a mutually satisfying outcome. This may be the most valuable moment in the entire negotiation. In the commonly used sense of the phrase, a win-win negotiation is a deal that satisfies both sides. In an ideal world, a win-win agreement is the only kind of deal that would ever close. Nevertheless, even in today's world, the vast majority of negotiations end in win-win situations. Win-win negotiating does not mean that you must give up your goals or worry about the other person getting what they want in the negotiation. You have your hands full looking out for your own interests. Practice honesty and respect in all of your negotiations, but looking out for the other side isn't your job. It's theirs. Recognizing a good deal A good deal is one that is fair under all circumstances at the time the agreement is made. It provides for various contingencies before problems arise. A good deal is workable in the real world. To be sure that you have a good deal and a win-win situation, ask yourself the following questions just before closing: Does the agreement further your personal long-range goals? Does the outcome of the negotiation fit into your vision statement? Does the agreement fall comfortably within the goals and limits that you set for this particular negotiation? Can you perform your side of the agreement to the fullest? Do you intend to meet your commitment? Based on all the information, can the other side perform the agreement to your expectations? Based on what you know, does the other side intend to carry out the terms of the agreement? In an ideal situation, the answer to all six questions is a resounding yes. If you are unsure about any one of them, take some extra time. Review the entire situation. Assess how the agreement could be changed in order to create a yes answer to each question. Try your best to make the change needed to get a firm yes to each question. Then, close the deal. Don't go for any more changes even if you think that the other person wouldn't mind. You never know! When you work in a culture other than your own, being sure that you have a win-win solution takes a little extra effort. During a cross-cultural negotiation, be thorough in your investigation of what is and isn't acceptable. If you can't alter the deal so that you can answer yes to each question, be very thoughtful about closing. If you decide to go forward, write down exactly why you are closing the deal anyway so that you don't become part of that army of people with tales of exploitation. This exercise is particularly helpful to your state of mind if the results don't work out; you have a record as to why you took the deal. You won't be so hard on yourself. Knowing your counterpart Remember that the people you are dealing with are more important than the paperwork you draft. Know your counterpart very well before you enter into a long-term relationship. No lawyer can protect you from a crook. Lawyers can just put you in a position to win a lawsuit. People do bad things all the time. Checking out references is one of the most overlooked resources. You can learn a great deal from checking out references, even from the most obviously biased sources. Some people tend to be overly concerned about the other party's welfare in a negotiation, smothering their own goals in the process. When you're engaged in a negotiation, you must allow other people to take care of themselves. You don't have to make things "nice" for everyone. That's not a negotiator's job. Your job as a negotiator is to get what you want. Remaining true to that objective may involve upsetting someone. Part of negotiating well is having the strength to take that risk.

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